About two years after the Sheriff's Office took over in El Mirage, the town decided to "take back" the police department.

At a December news conference, Joe Arpaio listens to questions about botched sex-crimes investigations under his watch.

Jamie Peachey

Levalya Beyart of El Mirage says that after her daughter reported being raped in 2007, the Sheriff's Office told her, "This [is] not a priority."

The idea was to have the MCSO relinquish control by late spring 2008. But hearing that his services no longer were wanted in El Mirage, Arpaio pulled the plug on the cooperative agreement in October 2007.

Following that, during a sex-crimes unit staff meeting, Lieutenant Hank Brandimarte told Sergeant Kim Seagraves that all El Mirage cases would be returned to the town, whether they were finished or not, according to Mary Ward and James Weege's letter.

The sex-crimes detectives were given a "short time frame" in which to summarize what had been done on the outstanding cases and what still needed to be done.

"After the cases were [put together for transfer back], they sat on a conference table at MCSO for about a month, with no one working them," Ward and Weege wrote.

Finally, the boxes of reports were driven to El Mirage.

A few weeks later, Arpaio's executive chief, Scott Freeman, got a call from Mike Frazier, who'd been hired as the new police chief in the West Valley town.

"Hey, what I got was a bunch of crap," Freeman recalled Frazier saying, according to the Babeu report.

As Frazier remembers it, his language was even more colorful. He and his staff were stunned when they reviewed the cases.

"You could look at them and tell no work had been done," he says.

MCSO Captain Steve Whitney, Brandimarte's supervisor, offered to take back the poorly investigated cases, but Frazier declined, preferring to have his own office review them. Frazier and his department soon realized that though some of the cases weren't solid, many others were.

"A lot of people had continued to be victims," Frazier says.

Frazier sent a written complaint to Arpaio.

MCSO officials soon realized they had a major situation on their hands.

At first, Brandimarte was told to check on the problem.

But Seagraves and Ward didn't want Brandimarte investigating the sex-crimes unit because (it later was affirmed) he had sexually harassed them. The women filed a complaint against him, and the inquiry into the sex-crimes unit — and the sex-crimes cases themselves — stalled for months.

Two investigations eventually came about: The first was a "remedial" probe intended to fix outstanding cases and solve problems that resulted in minimal police work. The second was the internal inquiry aimed at assigning blame for the situation.

Neither investigation actually began until mid-May 2008, more than six months after Frazier's complaint.

One consequence was that the sex-crimes unit fell even further behind on its work from the end of the El Mirage contract until late summer 2008.

As Weege and Ward describe it, their captain informed the unit that it would be required to help with an audit of older cases but it still would be responsible for ongoing cases and call-outs on new crimes.

With the unit still minimally staffed, another supervisor said some of the detectives would be tasked with an important new assignment. This was soon after then-Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon had criticized Arpaio's sweeps and accused the Sheriff's Office of racial profiling.

A young political opponent of Gordon's, Jarrett Maupin, told the MCSO that Gordon had been involved in a sexual relationship with a man. The allegation proved to be false, but the MCSO made the investigation a priority.

The unit was informed that its members would get overtime pay to work the case.

"Detectives expressed their concerns that this appeared to be politically motivated and [that] they weren't comfortable being involved in it," Ward and Weege wrote in their letter. "Detectives made comments about the absurdity of the Gordon investigation and the irony that they could get overtime for this, but not for child interviews."

Detective Weege wrote that he refused Lugo's request to run criminal background checks on Gordon's staff for a "maybe" crime — that such activity might constitute illegal use of law enforcement computers. Lugo, according to Weege, said he would find somebody else to do it.

Maupin later pleaded guilty to a charge of false reporting.

In mid-August, because of a "hostile work environment" and stress, Ward and Weege resigned from the MCSO. They had no idea at the time that they were targeted in the internal investigation into the sex-crimes mess.

After they left, they were told by a deputy that supervisors in the office had talked of serving search warrants on their homes. Their offices at the MCSO were "taped off as if they were crime scenes," they later learned.

The Sheriff's Office — rather than admit that the debacle with the sex-abuse cases was caused by Arpaio's politically self-serving decisions on where to expend resources — decided the lowly detectives would be scapegoated.

The "remedial" investigation by the Sheriff's Office resulted in the reopening of 432 cases considered potentially problematic. It's unclear how many of these are El Mirage cases.

Rape and death are normal in Mexico, Central America and South America.Native women are often raped by relatives and non relatives. Very few escape this crime against humanity. Same in the middle east and muslim control. Women do not have any standing in society in many, many places throughtout the world. Especially if you are a different race.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Lisa Allen his head Publicist are out for anyone, anything or whatever will make the news. Power, money and control: you wonder how people lie so much and won't go on a public appearance unless it is in their favor. Arpaio has so much money and pays lisa off to control his power along with the media. Who the F....is this guy and why does he scare off so many people. Money can pay people off??? SICK PEOPLE THAT TAKE THAT MONEY LIKE LISA ALLEN. She is not going to be good looking in my movie BackSPIN. Just like the inside looks don't matter she is. I'm doing the casting on her. This will make my movie making her outside look like her inside lies and catch up with the thing she protrays. I WOULD HATE TO BE LIKE HER OR JOE. I LOVE TO LIVE HONEST. THESE PEOPLE KILL FAMILIES LIVES AND NEED TO BE EXPLOITED.

I wonder how many rapes and sex trafficking is going on this week with your Backpage ads? which is owned and operated by New Times owners Larkin and Lacey. Just google "village voice pimps", owners of New Times to find out all about their sex trafficking.

eLatinaVoices received a copy of the sex crimes audit that identified the 432 crimes not investigated by MCSO. On January 31, Deputy Sheridan reported to the County Board of Supervisors that there were only 15 uninvestigated cases. We made a public comment to the Board and to Deputy Sheridan and County Attorney Montgomery, challenging the reported 15 uninvestigated crime report and contacted the MCSO Sex Crimes Unit for clarification. We have yet to receive a response. Of the 432 sex crime cases, we learned that El Mirage had 32, Guadalupe had 19, Litchfield had less than 10. We are still awaiting reports from the other contracted cities. On behalf of the sex crime victims, we thank you for bringing this to light. A change in leadership at the MCSO is critical for the safety of our children.

This situation disgusts me. One of the most moving things I've ever been a part of in Phoenix was the vigil for victims of abuse who were ignored by Joe Arpaio after this story first broke, down at Occupy Phoenix. The vigil may not have "done" anything, but it was great coming together and being mournful... right before discussing how to get this motherf***er out. Serious issues here-- can anyone deny this is BAD for Phoenix and Arizona in general? Geeze!http://youtu.be/w32QbhFQfQA

I see Phoenix New Times as quite a biased publication. Still, Ray Stern's article certainly shows there are serious issues with MCSO. Of course that's if the facts presented are accurate of which I am always somewhat suspicious no matter the media outlet. If El Mirage had an influential residents, I'm sure MCSO would have been there in a flash and in force. Isn't it time to get some "new blood" as Sheriff? I think so.

Help end the illegal Mexican occupation of the United States of America. Vote for candidates that support deportation and not pathway to citizenship. It is the only way to prevent the total destructiom of the US.

It seems to me tht really the only thing Sherrif Joe cares about is deporting all of the mexicans and arresting people for DUI. Any other crime doesn't seem too important for this guy. Oh and don't forget he always has to have his face on TV.

there are far too, too many sexual abuse cases within the phoenix area and it seems that none are behind bars being held accountable for their crimes. Just running a search on sex offenders will pull up what seems to be hundreds all over central phoenix alone. Now, the state protects them due to harsh environments should they go to prison. To the public from an ex-con, you need to push for these cases to make sentencing to prison. they do pay for these crimes there. They deserve whatever they get and should not be protected by the law. innocent people are sentenced to hard time everyday, and also not so innocent, none the less, they still receive very harsh sentences, while these sick predators are left free to roam the street and prey on our children. Then society and the law wonder why individuals take law upon themselves. If maricopa county was'nt using these offenders as street informants for petty investigations like small time hustling, then maybe we wouldnt live in fear for our children. Voters need to push for sentencing changes. I myself find that a child predator is far worse than a simple drug dealer trying to survive, and I believe should be taken to much more extreme during sentencing process. In fact, there is no cure for sexual predator's, they will never think differently. If you ask me, they are the ones who should receive death sentences. I commend the men doing time who clean up by ridding us all of these individuals. Children are angels of god and should not be harmed. Anyone who hurts an innocent child should meet severe consequences.......

I see more problem with morals of the complainers than the sherriff department. When you're this perverted who do you expect to help?? You think they turn in relatives, adn dog like friends??? Who would allow any of this perversion to occur, whpo with a brain??/

Leave it to the Phoenix "New" Times news to post any and all stories that take attention away from the most serious destruction of the American way of life. We should all be concentrating on how we end the illegal Mexican occupation of America and return the occupiers back to Mexico!

I would rather the sheriff focus on apprehending illegal aliens as they cause so many problems for the USA. They steal identities, don't pay state or federal income tax, take jobs citizens could be doing, and drain taxpayers since we have to pay for the birth of their anchor babies. Illegals also get in state tuition which they shouldn't.

Let police and cps work on the sex abuse cases. Why aren't they under fire for not focusing on these cases?

This rag and azlibtardcentral are going after arpaio because you like illegal alien penis, don't you? Cheap sex from dirty south of the border trannys? You are some sick people.

There is no one at the (yellow rag ) like the new times that could run the SHERIFF Dept.But you are the first to scream about things that you know nothing about.The victims didnot help the sheriff with there complaints because most of them included family members and boy friends that they never pushed for helped some were ILLegal and did not get sent back to Mexico .It now becomes something to complain about to the yellow news paper who will blow it out of portion just to hurt the Sheriff dept This is just to hurt the only dept.that trying to keep this state out of Mexican control and you people are not smart enough to see it.YOU WILL WHEN ITS TO LATE> .

I am 100% PRO JOE ARPIO and I friggn damn tired of these ratty ass ILLEGALS coming here and stealing our jobs, money, raping and murdering our American Citizens! I would like to line all of them up and go gung ho 'firing squad' on their asses! Too bad that will never happen becuse of all the WEAK ASS WHITE PEOPLE!!!

Since you obviously left your brain in the toilet bowl, I would suggest you retrive it and at least start it up BEFORE you get online. BTW, while you are in there, don't forget to put your Hitler Youth shorts back on your butt. COMPRENDE, BRO ??

Oh yes, let us all march in lockstep goosestep to the Soros funded Hispanic Nazi agenda. Let us all break the borders for the globalists and let the NWO begin because we Hispanics think our lot will be better and we have been given secret promises to that effect. So what if Jesus is hispanic? We know that having a different idea is not tolerated in the community so that is why we have to come here anonymously - so fuck you for putting that on him and me and anybody else. Hispanic does not mean to think one way only means that you are disloyal to your race. That kind of thinking makes you a willing tool, rhymes with fool.

Readers may be ignorant as to how the various social strata of Mexico handle sexuality issues and what is commonplace and accepted in their culture as well as their law. To view Sheriff Joe's choices through a narrow prism of US law is to self-servingly forget that in many legal cases here in the US laws of other nations (like Sharia) has trumped US domestic law and that cultural insensitivity has become a prosecutable crime. The "Mexican" population needs to decide if they want to live by US law and US culture or Mexican law and Mexican culture. To expect any law enforcement officer to determine on a case by case basis which cases are prosecutable and which cases are culturally acceptable to this population is expecting too much or you could ask Georgy Porgy to fund that initiative too. So drop the La Raza Reconquista Macho Mexico shit or go back there. You can't have it both ways and pick and choose which parts of US law you want the protection of and then make out that other parts of US law is persecuting you just cuz you chose to break it or cuz you chose NOT to learn la linqua franca so you couldn't know. It would be delicious to prosecute all of the sex perps regardless of whether their culture of origin allows their behavior or not and lock them all up and throw away the key but then this article would either never happen or the "Shurf" would be getting prosecuted for cultural insensitivity - oh wait, he already is. Meanwhile those who embrace US law and custom and culture first are called "bad Mexicans" and receive great prejudice from the Reconquista Brown Power ones. So just sign me BAD MEXICAN.

AZ has always been pathetic regarding help for rape victims. At one time the so-called rape crisis center had a 6 month backlog for counseling related to the crime. That really helps when you are in crisis now having been raped yesterday. Oh yeah, just put all your resultant disfunctionality on hold for 6 months before you get help. And then be reminded that these organizations are generally run by lesbians who want to turn your brain towards their political agenda rather than help you re-adjust to a bi-sexual (as in 2 sexes) society - nope, they would just as soon turn you towards a women only community. So Joe has gone with the flow on this one. AZ has always sucked on this issue.

How can people sacrafice innocent children because a criminal wraps himself in the flag creating the illusion of safety. Joe Arpaio is closer to John Wayne Gacey not the Duke. It is time for Americans and Arizonans to stand for right.

This is kind of the subject but, still is relevant. and it is relevant because the Phoenix you times wrote a story on it, LOL nobody wants to hear from the the idiot running against the Sheriff. http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.c...

I don't think I've read or heard of anybody working for this yellow rag offering to run for the office and make the claim they could run the office. No, those are Arpiao's claims and he has failed miserably at meeting those claims. So really you think Arpiao is going to ride his shiny white ass in and save you against the mexican horde? LMAO1

"I friggn damn tired of these ratty ass ILLEGALS coming here and stealing our jobs, money, raping and murdering our American Citizens! I would like to line all of them up and go gung ho 'firing squad' on their asses!"

Good for you for being pro-Joe. I am not and I very strongly disagree with his policies, which is why Arpaio is in scalding hot water with the DOJ as I type.

I don't think you even read the article. I also think you need to stop drinking the Arpaio/Pearce Kool-Aid.

Arpaio and his office essentially spit in the eyes of crime victims, all of whom are American citizens, just because they are poor and/or are Hispanic. That is disgusting and inexcusable.

Joe Arpaio Opponent Mike Stauffer Suddenly Uninvited to Candidate ForumLess than 24 hours away from a candidate forum in Sun City West that was supposed to host both ​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his opponent Mike Stauffer, the Stauffer campaign tells New Times that he's been officially uninvited.

I am half mexican/white, born in North Dakota raised in Az. Ive never seen such ignorant white and mexican people. I am proud fuckin American. I exercise all my rights. But because my skin is brown, idiot white people like u set this country back to slavery. You obviously lost or never had the consept of what being American is!

1) I do not now, nor have I ever supported illegal immigration. However, no one seems interested in resolving this issue. Arpaio and Pearce have not resolved the issue, nor is it within the state's purview to do so.

2) I am in no way, shape or form associated with the Occupy movement.

3) I stand for the rule of law. I very strongly disagree with the MCSO shurf because he is not providing law-enforcement services. Rather, he is campaigning and getting his face on TV. This is why the DOJ is here: Doing the job the Flaccid Failure won't do.

4) If you live in Maricopa County, Arizona, and I do, you are already in hell.